Zombies, movie stars celebrate Chocolate Fantasia

Downtown Silver City was filled with anxious foodies Saturday for the 16th Annual Chocolate Fantasia, and they were joined by zombies and film “stars” who were dressed for the Hollywood theme.

Despite a bump in the number of participating locations this year, and a 37-percent increase in the amount of tickets available, all 558 tickets sold out by noon, according to Mimbres Region Arts Council Director Faye McCalmont.

“Last year we sold 400 tickets, so we had to recruit a lot more chocolatiers, and people had to make more chocolates, for us to be able to sell 550,” McCalmont said. “So, next year we’re going to have to up it again.”

Marcus Miner and Tim Miller, visiting from Las Cruces, were lucky enough to find tickets. It was their first time at Chocolate Fantasia.

“We love Silver City, we actually didn’t intend to come up for this, “ Miller said, “but it was happening, and it was the perfect opportunity.”

“It’s amazing. We love the community involvement, and people are getting into it with their costumes, ” Miner said. “It’s quite the scene on Main Street.”

Chef David Peck, right, describes his dark chocolates with raspberry puree at Copper Quail Gallery during the 16th Annual Chocolate Fantasia on Saturday. Peck was among 33 chocolatiers participating in the event this year.

The costumes were due to this year’s theme, “Lights, Camera…Chocolate Fantasia.” Many of the businesses and other chocolate host sites were decorated in Tinseltown fashion, with rope lines, red carpets, popcorn machines and other movie-related props. And in addition to a troupe of zombies — who performed Michael Jackson’s Thriller at the intersection of Bullard St. and Broadway — one could see famous movie actor impersonators, like a young Shirley Temple. Grant County Assessor Raul Turrieta, a judge for the event, was in costume as John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever.

The increased foot traffic downtown was good for business, according to Martyn Pearson of Gila Hike and Bike, one of the host sites for Chocolate Fantasia.

“Any time you can get a lot of people walking in, that aren’t the people you usually have come by, is good,” Pearson said.

That was a sentiment shared by Al and Lucy Ewing, who are from Washington state but are spending a year in Silver City as part of their mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

“The good thing about this is it gets us into stores that we wouldn’t have gone into otherwise,” Al Ewing said. “We’ve been up and down all these streets here many times, but some places you never even think to go in.”

His wife also said the shops were benefitting.

“We actually have some friends here from El Paso, and they’ve been doing some buying in some of those shops,” Lucy Ewing said.

She also said she wants to take the idea of Chocolate Fantasia back to their hometown, “because its fun to see all the people out on the streets, and to hear different people talking about the chocolate their serving.”

First-time chocolatiers Tyler Jackson and Jesse Bustamante, members of the WNMU Orientation Leaders, were serving their sweets at Morones & Knuttinen.

“It’s an amazing experience. I’m local, and I’ve never really done this,” Bustamante said, “but for this being my first time, and learning about it through the college, being with the community is really nice.”

Diane Barrett of Diane’s Restaurant won the Star Chocolatier Award and also received the People’s Choice Award for Best Chocolate. The restaurant also won an award for the “Best Breakthrough Performance for a Host Site,” as the best new site.

Esther Scherf, chocolatier at Seedboat Gallery, won First Place, WHILE Jane Janson at Syzygy Tileworks came in Second and Western New Mexico University, with chocolates at Alotta Gelato, finished third. There were 33 chocolatiers participating in the event, which is a fundraiser for the Mimbres Region Arts Council.

For host sites, the award for Overall Theme & Decoration went to The World is Our Stage Theatre Group. Encore won second place, and the People’s Choice Award for Best Set Design, while Seedboat Gallery took home third place. The Lion’s Den was recognized with the Toy Story Award for Best Kid Friendly Site.